IWC results announced

A winemaker from Cornwall who is convinced "Bacchus grapes can do for England what Savignon Blanc did for New Zealand" is among the gold-medal winners in this year's International Wine Challenge.

A winemaker from Cornwall who is convinced "Bacchus grapes can do for England what Savignon Blanc did for New Zealand" is among the gold-medal winners in this year's International Wine Challenge.

The results of the world's most rigorous wine competition were announced at the London International Wine Fair this morning.

Judging entries from a record 41 countries, the 400 or so judges - which include the co-chairmen Derek Smedley MW, Tim Atkin MW, Charles Metcalfe and Sam Harrop MW - awarded 304 gold medals, up 13% on last year, 1,304 silvers and 2,154 bronzes. The gold medals will undergo a further blind tastings and those elevated to trophy status will be announced in June.

France retained the top spot with 49 gold medals, followed by Australia with 43 and Portugal with 36. France also won the most overall medals with 729, followed by Australia and Italy.

English wine continued to show improvement, with a record 24 medals. The only gold medal went to Cornish producer Bob Lindo for his Camel Valley Bacchus 2007, who said the grape variety was perfectly suited to be grown in England.

Andrew Reed, managing director of William Reed Business Media, said: "The IWC is undoubtedly the most credible wine competition of its kind. The quality of the competition just gets better and better each year, demonstrated by the increase in countries entering and the quality of their submissions."